Obituary of Hilda E. Zimmerman

Hilda E. (Pahl) Zimmerman of Lacey, Washington, passed away at 94 years of age on December 26, 2018, following a brief illness.  Cared for by her loving family during her last years in Carbondale, Illinois and then Lacey, she died secure in her faith. 

Hilda was born at home on November 20, 1924, in New Leipzig, North Dakota, one of 12 children born to Bertha and Jacob Pahl.  She attended country school for her first eight years and moved on to high school in New Leipzig, graduating as class Salutatorian in 1942.   On September 10, 1944, she married the love of her life, Herbert Zimmerman, in the Old Leipzig Ebenezer United Congregational Church.  She had long attended this church with her family and this is where she met her husband-to-be.  He (with several members of his family) sang as guests at Hilda’s church confirmation and they were in each other’s hearts from that day forward.

Following high school, Herb entered Yankton College/Theological Seminary and Hilda entered Bismarck Nursing School.  She left school midway to marry Herb and move to Yankton, South Dakota, but resumed training and completed LPN certification at American Falls, Idaho.  During her career, she served in many roles in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics throughout the upper Midwest.   Her real calling, however, was to her beloved husband and as his helpmate in service to United Church of Christ congregations throughout the Northern Plains and West, most notably in Idaho, the Dakotas and Minnesota. 

Hilda was a talented and accomplished woman.  Socially skillful, she made friends easily wherever she went.  She loved gardening and every yard of the 12 houses she lived in with Herb were filled with glorious flower gardens.  Hilda sang in choirs, led church discussion groups, hosted visiting church dignitaries, filled pantries and freezers with canned and baked goods, played piano, sewed and quilted.  Together she and Herb planned and personally built a large house from the ground up, and she was an expert at staining/painting.  Later in life, she developed a strong aptitude for producing watercolor paintings.

Together their lives were characterized by great joy, endearing love, and commitment and devotion to the churches they served, and to the communities in which they lived.  Most importantly, they shared a loving and profound dedication to each other and their children.  Herb passed away in 2009, but he was never far from her thoughts.

They had five children, who survive Hilda:  Sharon Benshoff (John), Walnut Creek, California; Judith Ellsworth (Peter), Woods Landing, Wyoming; Douglas Zimmerman (Diane), Hendersonville, Tennessee; Mark Zimmerman (Betty), Wolverton, Minnesota; and Pamela Firth (Robert), Lacey, Washington.   Her legacy will endure with her nine grandchildren: Shauna Benshoff Callow (Wesley), Alameda, California; Kurt Zimmerman (Kimberly), Austin, Texas; Luke Zimmerman (Autumn), Nashville, Tennessee; Mark Zimmerman, Torrance, California; Jack Zimmerman, Moore, Oklahoma; Collin Zimmerman (Randi), Duluth Minnesota; Jared Zimmerman, Tyler, Texas; Benjamin Firth, Golden, Colorado; and Noah Firth, Olympia, Washington.   Her heritage will continue through the lives of her five great-grandchildren:  Oren and Reid Callow (Shauna); Genevieve Zimmerman (Luke); Aurora Zimmerman (Collin); and Miriam Zimmerman (Kurt).

She was preceded in death by her husband; her siblings and their spouses: Earnest (Jane), Mildred, Edmond, Fred (Dorothy), Ruth (Wayne Christensen), Elmer (Ruby), Roland , Melvin, James (Frieda,), (Otto Deeg) and (Robert Krause).  She is survived by two sisters: Ida Deeg (Otto), American Falls, Idaho, and Marion Krause (Robert), Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania; sister-in-law, Delores Merbach (Roland Pahl) of Elgin, North Dakota; and many nieces and nephews, whom she treasured.

A service commemorating and celebrating her life will be held at the Old Leipzig Ebenezer United Church of Christ (rural church), 204 4^th Ave. NW, Elgin, ND 58533, on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. MDT.  This church is where Hilda was confirmed, where she and Herb were married, and where Herb is buried. She will be interred next to Herb, thus sharing eternity forever.

Hilda’s nephew, Rev. Edmund Zimmerman, will officiate.  The service will be held at the church, followed immediately by a gravesite service.  There will then be a lunch served at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 400 2^nd Ave. NE, Elgin, ND 58533.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to support The United Church of Christ Christmas Fund, which provides assistance to needy and retired clergy and their spouses.  Checks made out to The Christmas Fund with a notation “In memory of Hilda E. Zimmerman” can be mailed to The Pension Boards, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1020, New York, NY 10115.